When close enough, a boxer can hit his opponent with a punch (executed by pressing the fire button on the Atari joystick).

A match is completed either when one player lands 100 punches (a "knockout") or two minutes have elapsed (a "decision").

While the gameplay is simple, there are subtleties, such as getting an opponent on the "ropes" and "juggling" him back and forth between alternate punches.

Boxing was reviewed by Video magazine in its "Arcade Alley" column where it was described as "demonstrat[ing] Activision's willingness to strike out boldly in new directions" and praised for keeping things from "becoming needlessly complex" by making automatic punch-type selection for the player.

[5] Boxing was shown briefly being played in the Season 8 The Walking Dead episode The Big Scary U. Boxing was featured as an Easter egg minigame in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.